ENERGY RESOURCES

Energy is the ability to do work or produce change. Every living thing needs energy to
perform its daily functions and even more energy to grow. Plants get energy from the “food”
they make by photosynthesis, and animals get energy directly or indirectly from that food.
People also use energy for many things, such as cooking food, keeping ice cream cold in the
freezer, heating a house, constructing a skyscraper, or lighting their homes. Because billions
of people all around the world use energy, there is a huge need for energy resources.Energy
conservation is something everyone can do now to help reduce the strain on energy
resources.
The law of conservation of energy says that energy cannot be created or destroyed. This
means that even though energy changes form, the total amount of energy always stays the
same.

TYPES OF ENERGY:
There are many different types of energy, which all fall into two
primary forms – kinetic and potential.

Potential Energy has 4 forms:

Potential energy is energy that is stored in an object or substance. Potential energy has the
potential to do work or the potential to be converted into other forms of energy. If a ball is sitting on
the very edge at the top of the hill, it is not moving, but it has a lot of potential energy.

1. Chemical energy – the energy stored in the bonds between atoms that holds molecules
together

2. Nuclear energy – the energy stored in the nucleus of the atom that holds the nucleus
together

3. Gravitational energy – the energy an object has because of its position or height

4. Elastic energy – or stored mechanical energy, is energy stored in an object by the application
of force

Kinetic Energy has 5 forms:

Kinetic energy is the energy of a moving object.

1. Mechanical energy – or motion, is the movement of objects or substances

from one place to another
2. Electrical energy – the energy from flow of electric charge (movement of
electrons in one direction)
 3. Thermal energy – or heat energy, the internal energy of a substance due to
the vibration of atoms and molecules making up the substance
4. Radiant energy – or light energy, or electromagnetic energy that travels in
transverse waves
5. Sound energy – the movement of energy through substances in the form of
compression waves

Types of Energy Resources

Energy resources are either renewable or non-renewable.

Renewable energies generate from natural sources that can be replaced over a relatively short time
scale. Examples of renewable energies include solar, wind, hydro, geothermal and biomass.

Nonrenewable energies come from resources that are not replaced or are replaced only very slowly
by natural processes. The primary sources for nonrenewable energies in the world are fossil fuels --
coal, gas and oil. Nuclear energy is also considered nonrenewable because there is a limited supply
of uranium in the Earth's crust. When planning the energy profile for various communities, the
advantages and disadvantages of renewable vs. nonrenewable energies need to be considered.

Advantages of Renewable Energy Resources

Because renewable energies are not burned like fossil fuels, they do not release pollutants into the
atmosphere and provide a cleaner, healthier environment. Sources of renewable energy are found
everywhere in the world and cannot be depleted. Costs for tapping renewable energies are
decreasing as the technology advances and, once established, maintenance costs are generally low.
Because trained technicians are needed to maintain the equipment, some renewable energy plants
have the potential to generate more jobs than highly mechanized fossil fuel plants. Most
importantly, there are little or no greenhouse gas emissions associated with renewable energies that
are contributing to driving up the planet's temperature.

Disadvantages of Renewable Energy Resources

Initial costs for setting up renewable energy plants are often quite high and require careful planning
and implementation. Building dams, for example, for hydroelectric power requires high initial capital
and high maintenance expenses. Renewable energies like solar and wind require large tracts of land
to produce energy quantities competitive with fossil fuel burning. Renewable sources of energy are
also affected by weather, reducing their reliability. For example, wind turbines only rotate it there is
enough wind at a given speed and solar panels do not operate at night time and are less efficient on
cloudy days.

Types of Renewable Energy Sources

Solar Energy

Humans have been harnessing solar energy for thousands of years—to grow crops, stay warm, and
dry foods. According to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, “more energy from the sun falls
on the earth in one hour than is used by everyone in the world in one year.” Today, we use the sun’s
rays in many ways—to heat homes and businesses, to warm water, or power devices.

Solar, or photovoltaic (PV), cells are made from silicon or other materials that transform sunlight
directly into electricity. Distributed solar systems generate electricity locally for homes and
businesses, either through rooftop panels or community projects that power entire neighborhoods.
Solar farms can generate power for thousands of homes, using mirrors to concentrate sunlight
across acres of solar cells. Floating solar farms—or “floatovoltaics”—can be an effective use of
wastewater facilities and bodies of water that aren’t ecologically sensitive.

Solar energy systems don’t produce air pollutants or greenhouse gases, and as long as they are
responsibly sited, most solar panels have few environmental impacts beyond the manufacturing
process.

Wind Energy

We’ve come a long way from old-fashioned wind mills. Today, turbines as tall as skyscrapers—with
turbines nearly as wide in diameter—stand at attention around the world. Wind energy turns a
turbine’s blades, which feeds an electric generator and produces electricity.

Hydroelectric Power

Hydropower is the largest renewable energy source for electricity in the United States, though wind
energy is soon expected to take over the lead. Hydropower relies on water—typically fast-moving
water in a large river or rapidly descending water from a high point—and converts the force of that
water into electricity by spinning a generator’s turbine blades.

Nationally and internationally, large hydroelectric plants—or mega-dams—are often considered to

be nonrenewable energy. Mega-dams divert and reduce natural flows, restricting access for animal
and human populations that rely on rivers. Small hydroelectric plants (an installed capacity below
about 40 megawatts), carefully managed, do not tend to cause as much environmental damage, as
they divert only a fraction of flow.

Biomass Energy

Biomass is organic material that comes from plants and animals, and includes crops, waste wood,
and trees. When biomass is burned, the chemical energy is released as heat and can generate
electricity with a steam turbine.

Biomass is often mistakenly described as a clean, renewable fuel and a greener alternative to coal
and other fossil fuels for producing electricity. However, recent science shows that many forms of
biomass—especially from forests—produce higher carbon emissions than fossil fuels. There are also
negative consequences for biodiversity. Still, some forms of biomass energy could serve as a low-
carbon option under the right circumstances. For example, sawdust and chips from sawmills that
would otherwise quickly decompose and release carbon can be a low-carbon energy source.

Geothermal Energy
. The earth’s core is about as hot as the sun’s surface, due to the slow decay of radioactive particles
in rocks at the center of the planet. Drilling deep wells brings very hot underground water to the
surface as a hydrothermal resource, which is then pumped through a turbine to create electricity.
Geothermal plants typically have low emissions if they pump the steam and water they use back into
the reservoir. There are ways to create geothermal plants where there are not underground
 reservoirs, but there are concerns that they may increase the risk of an earthquake in areas already
considered geological hot spots.

Ocean

Tidal and wave energy is still in a developmental phase, but the ocean will always be ruled by the
moon’s gravity, which makes harnessing its power an attractive option. Some tidal energy
approaches may harm wildlife, such as tidal barrages, which work much like dams and are located in
an ocean bay or lagoon. Like tidal power, wave power relies on dam-like structures or ocean floor–
anchored devices on or just below the water’s surface.

S.No Renewable energy resources Non-renewable energy resources

It can be used again and again throughout its It cannot be used again and again but one day it
1. life. will be exhausted.
These are the energy resources which cannot be They are the energy resources which can be
2. exhausted. exhausted one day.
It has low carbon emission and hence It has high carbon emission and hence not
3. environment friendly. environment friendly.
It is present in limited quantity and vanishes one
4. It is present in unlimited quantity. day
5. Cost is low. Cost is high.
The non-renewable energy resources are not
6. Renewable energy resources are pollution free. pollution free.
7. Life of resources is infinite. Life of resources is finite and vanishes one day.
It has low maintenance cost as compared with the
8. It has high maintenance cost. renewable energy resources.
Large land area is required for the installation Less land area is required for its power
9. of its power plant. plantbinstallation.
Solar energy, wind energy, tidal energy etc are Coal, petroleum, natural gases are the examples of
10. the examples of renewable resources. non-renewable resources